Life-saving apparatus



H. w.A wALEnsf UFE SAVING APPARATUS.

APPLIKCATION FILED4 1AN.26, |921. I y l l lPatented May 31, 1921.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

uuml H WN i1 l WITNESSES .H. w. WALTERS.

LIFE SAVING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 26, I92I.

www@ vMay 31,1921.

WITNEssEs I ATTORNEY I y V.any

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that. I, HENRY W. WALTERS,

a citizen of the United States, residing at n,

Jacksonville, in the county of Duval and' State of Florida, have invented a new and useful Life-Saving Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to life saving ap paratus.

Objects of the invention are to provide apparatus which may be readily carried out to the drowning person orppersons by a life guard, which is capable of effecting a t Y forming a water-tight buoy havingy 'three rescue o-f a large vnumber of people, which will traverse waves without deflecting, and

.which is Anon-sinkable so that retrieving is made easy.

A further object is to provide anv apparatus which may be carried out to deep water by a swimmer and which may be drawn back to the shore again, if necessary,

with the rescuedy persons clinging thereto, by a life guard or other person standing on the shore.

A still further object is to provide an` apparatus which vmay be carried upon a reel so as to be ready in an emergency, without ing on entangling they line.

Other objects will become apparent as the description isprocceded with.

The invention will be bestV understood from a consideration of the following de- K tailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Vwith the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to anystrict conformity with the showing in x vthe drawing, but lmay be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departurev from the salient features of the invention` asy eX- pressed in the appended claims. i

In the drawing Figure 1 is a View showing the manner in whichV the apparatus is used to effect a rescue.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the improved ioating reel which forms part of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the sanie taken at right angles.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross section through the improved buoy.

UNiTs srs 1era .HENRY W.' WAL'rnns," or anonsouvrrrn, FLORIDA., assiduo?. or

Y JOHN n. MAGKEY, or JacKsonviLLn, Encarna LIrE-saviucfnrrnmirus.

Specification of Letters Patent.'y Y Pajgntfgd Application fue@ January ze, ie'aifseriai ufsaeea adjustment, without liability lof snarl `enna-raar To ig. 5 is an elevation ofthe rodnwhich 10v having ends 13 providing water-tightl partitions. Twofelongated conical end members 11 are joined, asat .12, to the opposite ends of the cylindricalbody 10,'the lwhole compartments. Preferably the conical portions 11 have substantially the length of the cylindrical portion 10. The provision of these elongated cones is necessary ,to`4 per- May sn-i921.

mit the buoyy to traverse waves. l Were the ends not brought to a point the buoy would. offer a material impediment to the swimmer as he goes out into deep water tol make the rescue. Y

Passing centrally -through the buoy a.

straight rod 14 havinge-yes 15 at each end. Where the rod 14 encountersthe partitions, apertures gare pro-vided and some watertight means such as, washers are used.

Where thev rod passesl oiutfof lthe @buoyv`v through the apices of thecones'll, a similar packing material may `be used. y

The cylindrical body member -10 has two or more vcircular straps 16 secured upon the pair of loops 17 raised abo-ve the surface of the cylinder so that a rope 18 maybe run through V,said loops `and y also through the eyes 15 of the rod'.' Preferably a single `outside thereof, said strapseacli having a rope is used and passes through all ofv theloops 17 as well as the two` eyes 15. vThis rope permits drowning persons 'to save themselves by clutching, whereupon they. supporting power of the buoyis made effective.

|fhe reel R includes a handle or frame 22 A,

straddling a pivotal rod 2O ,having aY crank 23 at one end. Upon the `rod 20k issecured; a hollow body 21 preferably cylindrical which forms the spindle o-f the reel. Circular flanges 24 are provided at the ends of the spindleV 21, and theV two flanges together with the member 21 provide a space upon which the line L may be wound and stored. The body 21 is water-tight so that the reel has considerable buoyancy, and even when a portion of the line is wound thereon will float. The handle or frame 22 provides convenient means by which the reel may be hung upon a peg or other support.

In practice, the line is secured by snap hooks 19 to one or more of the ,buoys Usually only one buoy is necessary, but where a large number of persons are bathing it is desirable to use a plurality of buoys since the distress'of one person usually leads to the endangering of the lives of several others. As soon as the call for help is sent out, one of the life guards attaches the free end of the line to his suit and swims out to the drowning person, while another life guard stands on the shore or in shallow water paying out the line. The buoys, because of their lightness, do not noticeably obstruct the swimming of the rescuer, and

because of their elongated pointed ends, traverse waves without being diverted from their course. After help has reached the drowning person, the buoy or buoys will support the body until the reel can be used to wind up the line so as to bring the people into shallow water. Each buoy is capable of supporting a number of persons so that the rescuer as well as the rescued may cling thereto. Usually when the parties reach shallow water the reel will be dropped by the guard who has been manipulating it so that he may assist his fellow workmen in getting the people to a spot where resuscitation or medical attention may be rendered. If the reel did not float it would be difficult, especially in a pounding sea, to ind it again. With the present apparatus, however, all the parts will stay on top of the water so that retrieving is easy.

Both the reels and the buoys are preferably made of copper, galvanized iron or other metal which will not oXidiZe. T his is important since the apparatus is especially useful at salt water resorts. rlihe snap buckles 19, which are employed, permit rapid connection of any number of these buoys to each other and also allow quick detaching of the buoys ifthey are to be used alone. Furthermore the snap buckles can be caught in the bathing suit of a guard so that swimming with the buoys is easy. rIhe buoys and reel, being of light strong metal, ioat high upon the water but are nevertheless strong enough to withstand considerable abuse. The bands 17 which pass around the cylindrical sections 10 of the buoys strengthen the interlocking joints 12.

What is claimed is 1. ln a life saving buoy, a cylindrical body having pointed ends, a rope passing from end to end on the outside of the buoy, and means at either end of the body for facilitating connection of a life line thereto.

2. ln a life saving buoy, a cylindrical body having elongated conical ends, interior partitions separating the conical ends and the cylindrical body, an endless` rope passing around the body from end tovend and back again on the opposite side, and Ameans on the outside of the body for holding the rope in place and through which the rope is threaded. i

3. In a life saving buoy, a cylindrical body having pointed ends, a rope passing from end to endy on the outside of the buoy, a rod passing centrally through the buoy and eX- tending beyond both endsthereof, eyes on the two ends of the rod through which the rope passes, said eyes also facilitating connection of a life line to said buoy.

1. In a life saving buoy, a cylindrical body having elongated conical ends, loops provided on the outside of the cylindrical body, eyes at the apices of the conical ends, and a rope passing around the body through all of said loops and eyes. Y

5. A life saving buoy comprising a substantially cylindrical body having closed ends, conical members joined to the opposite ends of said body, the closed ends of said body providing water-tight partitions between the body and said members, and a rod passing longitudinally through said body ani said members and having eyes at each en 6. A life saving buoy comprising a body vhaving pointed ends, eyes at each end of the body, straps encircling the body at spaced points and having eyes at each side thereof, and a continuous rope extending longitudinally along said body, passing loosely through all of said eyes, and arranged at opposite sides of said body.

7. 1n life saving apparatus, a floatable reel comprising a frame having an extended portion providing a handle, a rod carried by the frame, a hollow body mounted on said rod having flanges at each end, and a crank provided on one end of the latter.

ln testimony, that I claim kthe foregoing as my own, I have hereto aHiXed my signature.

HENRY W. WALTERS. 

